Chandigarh, April 24 -- Launched with much fanfare in 2020 under the Smart Cities Mission, the bicycles under Chandigarh's sharing system, which was once projected as a symbol of clean and efficient urban mobility, have been losing their sheen, according to city residents. People say most bicycles are unusable, defeating the project's purpose. The civic body has assured that the matter will be looked into.

In its early years, the system, with nearly 3 lakh registered users, recorded an average of around 31,000 rides per month. Over a 24-month period, users clocked 8.3 lakh rides, covering 33 lakh kilometres and contributing to an estimated reduction of 825 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.

Designed to strengthen last-mile connectivity,...